Chikungunya virus not a threat to Apple's Chinese supply chain
There's another virus spreading in China, but despite what you may have heard on social media, it is not airborne, is contained, and isn't comparable to the COVID-19 situation for Apple or the world yet.
Foxconn likely won't be affected by the virus. Image source: Foxconn
The Coronavirus pandemic that shut down the world started with China and affected everyone globally. Apple's business was significantly impacted due to its heavy reliance on China.
Things have changed thanks to Apple's reshuffling of its supply chain and its growing presence in India. The BBC reports that there's a new virus outbreak in China, but there's no need to worry -- this isn't another Coronavirus or pandemic situation.
The chikungunya virus has been around for 70 years. It was identified in 1952 and has occasional outbreaks affecting people in the thousands.
The latest outbreak has reached 7,000 cases in recent weeks, with nearly 3,000 cases reported since the end of July.
Those infected with the virus are being quarantined. So far, the cases are isolated to the southern Guangdong province.
The virus spreads via mosquitoes and isn't transmissible by other means. Those infected are hospitalized and placed behind mosquito nets so a mosquito can't carry it to another.
How this affects Apple
Since the virus is just mosquito-borne, there's little chance of a wider outbreak. Also, Apple's reliance on China is much lower, but it still relies on factories and retail sales there.
Guangdong is located near Hong Kong and has Foxconn facilities as well as Apple retail. However, the low number of people infected shouldn't cause any problems with either.
The initial coronavirus outbreaks were especially hard on Apple due to ongoing protests and other issues within Foxconn facilities at the time. That initial outbreak caused a lot of trouble in the short term and helped accelerate the shortages of iPhones and shipment delays.
There's no concern about any of that right now. Stay tuned into AppleInsider for any updates on the situation, though it'll likely be resolved without issue.
Read on AppleInsider